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'05 Prius Battery Drain

After 5 days of not driving my new Prius there
was no response from the power button.
Call the Toyota help number, car was taken to
a dealer who could find nothing wrong, but did
use a jumper to get it running.
Owners manual suggests disabling the smart
key function if vehicle will not be driven "for an
extended period of time", but does not
elaborate on how long that should be.
Therefore, I suggest pushing the disable button
even for overnight to evert 'surprises' the next
day.

'05 Prius Battery Drain

Hi, Lee. That's what I am afraiid of. I am looking into buying a Prius, but I drive only on weekends. I don't know if I'll be having such probelms all the time. Have you encouneterd this problem again? Thanks,

'05 Prius Battery Drain

No. I have had no further problem in this regard.
The vehicle is totally great, rewarding, and
pleasurable.....this from a man who was a dedicated
sports car afficianado not many years ago.
And, learning how to drive it properly saw my gas
mileage increase from 48.5 to 51.5, not registered
by the onboard computer, but by actual calculation.
Just remember to push the cancel button if you have the 'smart key' function. I do it automatically
now when I secure it for the night or longer.
Lee

'05 Prius Battery Drain

Interesting... I've had my '04 Prius with the smart-key for just over a year now, and have never had that problem. I leave it for up to a week and a half on a regular basis and have never had start-up issues. I read in the owner's manual about disconnecting the battery in the trunk, but never thought to do it since I've never had any trouble. I think I'll have to start disabling the smart-key if I leave it for long periods now.

'05 Prius Battery Drain

Murray:
Thanks for your input.
I'd only had the car for a short time, and had not driven it for about 5 days. Pushed the power button
and nothing happened. So, I did what the book
said to do -- called the 800 number. A flatbed
arrived, put a jumper on it [by then I know to
pop the fuse panel cover], it started. Drove it
down the street and back, but did not understand
the system, so sent it to the dealer.
Next day I picked it up; they could find nothing wrong! Amazed, I researched the owners manual
from cover to cover, concluding that I needed to
switch off the 'smart key' button. Have had no further problems. This is why, though, that I put out the warning.
Really interesting that you have not experienced the
same. Thanks for the input. Lee

'05 Prius Battery Drain

I just got my 2005 Prius about a month ago. I did quite a bit of research which included reading through this site. I really love my new car. I am a bit concened though now about the issue of the "battery drain" that you all are discussing since I routinely leave my car at the airport for a week and would hate to come back to it and not have it start. What is the reason that the "smart key" system should be disabled? Am i really going to run into a problem leaving this car for long periods of time? Help is appreciated on this subject. I have not encountered any problem so far for just a couple of days. On this subject, sort of, how do you all suggest the best way may be to "valet" the car without going into a 10 minute lesson on driving the car, so it isnt left on while we are dining. The last valet had a bit of trouble reading the tag we left with the key! Thanks for the help...

'05 Prius Battery Drain

Ric....
We both love the vehicle.
That said, pushing the "smart disable button" can
only be considered as 'insurance', if you are going
to leave it for more that a couple of days.
As for valet parking, would you let you 5 year old
be in control?
Until these machines become commonplace, you are better off trusting yourself.
Lee Sipngas

'05 Prius Battery Drain

'05 Prius Battery Drain

I usually travel for 4 to 8 weeks...Will the battery rundown even with the smartkey disabled? Do I just get a pair of jumper cables and jump-start it? Shuld I disconnect the battery cable (+) where ever it is located?
Thanks